Mat 12:30-32, Christ’s Hunter Gatherers.
length: 73:45 - taught on Feb, 16 2025
Class Outline:
Sunday February 16, 2025
Intro: The response of each person to Christ is the one issue that determines the result of each human life and all human history.
I am the first and the last, 18 and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.
The response, that every person will make, concerns the identity of Jesus Christ - who He is. A person either believes in Him as God and Savior or does not. There is no neutrality on this.
"He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters. 31 "Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. 32 "Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.
Vs. 30 - No neutrality. With or against.
Gathers: Sunago - to join with someone in a gathering.
Scatters: Skorpizo - to draw away.
(We will deal with the unpardonable sin in vv. 31-32 in our next class)
Blasphemy - to infringe on divine prerogative (right).
Infringing on the right of the Holy Spirit in His revelation of Jesus as Savior and God.
“If you are worried that you have committed the sin against the Holy Spirit, you have not.”
Forgiveness of all sin:
One of the main points of the passage is that believers in Christ have been forgiven of all their sin. This means so much more than passage into heaven.
When the unbeliever becomes for Christ, he becomes a gatherer and not only for other unbelievers, but within the church herself. The gathering of the church to Christ, her Head, while on earth, needs consistent care and refreshing.
The present participles together: one who is with Me and gathers people together with Me.
Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; 11 not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, 13 contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.
Notice the frequency of Paul’s usage of this often overlooked phrase:
Greet one another with a holy kiss.
Greet one another with a holy kiss.
Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. 12 Greet one another with a holy kiss
You could not gather people for the wrong reason if it were with Him. You would also do so sacrificially, lovingly, hope filled, if it were with Him.
When they had been released, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24 And when they heard this, they lifted their voices to God with one accord and said, "O Lord, it is You who MADE THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH AND THE SEA, AND ALL THAT IS IN THEM, 25 who by the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of our father David Your servant, said,
'WHY DID THE GENTILES RAGE,AND THE PEOPLES DEVISE FUTILE THINGS? 26 'THE KINGS OF THE EARTH TOOK THEIR STAND,AND THE RULERS WERE GATHERED TOGETHER AGAINST THE LORD AND AGAINST HIS CHRIST.'
27 "For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur. 29 "And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence, 30 while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus." 31 And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.
32 And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them. 33 And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all. 34 For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales 35 and lay them at the apostles' feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need.
Can such an environment be created in a modern Western church?
Skorpizo - scatter.
"I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. 12 "He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 "He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep.
Jesus taught this in different contexts.
In MAR 9:38-41, Jesus’ disciples see someone casting out demons in His name, Jesus’ response was to let him do so, "For he who is not against us is for us.
Each believer’s loyalty must be to Christ, exclusively, and not to family, spouse, church, denomination, pastor, or anything else.
We (plural) are to be with Him and we (plural) are to gather with Him. This amazing line from Christ teaches Christians to walk the narrow but exciting road of Christ-centeredness and church-openness, to be both deeply evangelical and broadly ecumenical.
We do not gather by compromising Biblical Truth.
In this conflict between the kingdoms of Satan and God, the church is a missionary community standing against the idolization of cultural values rather than, sometimes inadvertently, putting a divine stamp of approval on them.
And how many Christians are actually gathering?
No other forgives like this. Some people who love you forgive you of much, but no one forgives you of all like your Lord, MAT 10:34-39.
This is meant to comfort you and also to make you wise.
When others resent you, persecute you, judge you, refuse to forgive you; you have the choice of either looking at them (entering into their tiny courtroom and arguing your case) or looking to your Lord.
"Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 "Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12 "Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
When you are looking to Him you are basking in the fact that you are with Him, and if no one else were with you, He is more than enough.
Take with you: Application.
Learn to look to your invisible Lord for worth, purpose, esteem, destiny.
Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Know that the devil is going to use the people in your life to turn the eyes of your heart from the Lord to focus on them or to focus only on your circumstances: perspective is everything.
Pray and study and remind yourself daily that it is the Lord alone whom you serve.
Then take another step into what is impossible for anyone who does not know the Lord: love the antagonists and say or do whatever it takes to gather them together with you and the Lord. (divine love - freedom from them and freedom from self and freedom with the Son of God)
"If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. 16 "But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that BY THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY FACT MAY BE CONFIRMED. 17 "If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18 "Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.
19 "Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. 20 "For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst."
Where two or more are gathered: you don’t need numbers. Be content with one other who is with the Lord and love and invite any others with the heart of Christ.
Love for the Lord will create in you the desire to gather His sheep and care for them. This difficult saying, like the others, has a simple theme, which we can see when we trust our Lord - that theme is a deep care for others.
Let the Spirit fill you by your obedience and humility, often enough and long enough so that you see others in this light, the love of God that gathers.
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